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Pentecost 16A Jonah 3:10-4:11, Matthew 20:1-16 I love the book of Jonah. It is a remarkable story and there is something about Jonah that always feels very familiar. His frustration, his desire to run away from God and God’s call, and his disappointment in God doing exactly what he always knew God would do…

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Pentecost 11A Matthew 15:10-28 Around this time tomorrow, people in this area and in a wide strip across our nation will be gathering together to look up. We will have a chance to see a wonderful and probably once in a lifetime sight: a true total eclipse of the sun. The moon, following its…

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Pentecost 10A 1 Kings 19:9-18 Matthew 14:22-23 Have you ever had one of those days when it seems like everyone is working against you and everything is going wrong? You pour the cereal for breakfast and the milk is out of date. The shopping cart at the grocery store has some wheels going…

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Lenten Wednesday Service I’ve always been fascinated by commonly repeated Christian platitudes. You know, things people say like, ‘God only gives you what you can handle’ or ‘she’s in a better place now’ or ‘God helps those who help themselves’. Now, make no mistake here, I understand why people say these kinds of things to…

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Epiphany 7 Matthew 5:38-48 There is a song that has been on my mind all week: “What the world needs now is love sweet love, it’s the only thing that there’s just too little of. What the world needs now is love sweet love. No, not just for some, but for everyone.” Maybe it’s…

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Epiphany 5A Matthew 5:13-20 A few years ago, I was on a retreat at a beach in South Carolina in late January. Close to the end of the retreat, we were hit by a significant ice storm. It was severe enough to close bridges and bring the entire area to a stand still.The beach…

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Epiphany 4A Matthew 5:1-12 Last week in our gospel story we were at the seaside. We heard the story of Jesus calling to Peter, Andrew, James and John to be his followers. He just showed up at their place of business one day and said: Come follow me and I will make you fish for…